The Voices of Olin's Class of 2027: College Essay Snippets Part 3

Welcome to the final installation of our blog series “The Voices of Olin's Class of 2027: College Essay Snippets”! This series has featured excerpts of college essays that the incoming Olin students of the Class of 2027 wrote last year. Within these snippets our Oliners told us their unique stories; whether that be sharing their undying love for robotics manuals or a poignant exploration of evolving identity. What all these essays have in common, and what made them successful, was that they are genuine and communicate to the reader the passions, interests, and person behind the application. 

There is no secret key to unlocking the perfect essay, and nor is there a special set of essay topics we are hoping to hear about. The best essay is the one that is true to your story! Use the college essay as a way to reflect, self-explore, and highlight aspects of yourself not shown in other parts of the applications. 

Personal Statement Essay Prompt: Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story. 

EXAMPLE 1: Nick's 27' Personal Statement essay about growing up speaking Portuguese and their evolution from wanting to fit in to appreciating their trilingual skills deftly shows their growth:

“My childish mind thought that I should fit in with everyone else. This led to the cessation of the duality that I had previously possessed. One night I asked my parents to only speak to me in English, and that I was no longer interested in learning Portuguese." 

But now they appreciate their trilingual skills and background, "In retrospect, I believe my experiences with foreign languages have contributed to my success with engineering. Or is it the other way around? Both are practical, hands-on learning experiences that take time, discipline and practice. I thrive in this type of learning environment; one that encourages me to think outside-of-the-box, test the waters, adjust, and explore the possibilities, and I can't wait to apply these skills in college."  

Personal Statement Essay Prompt: Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story. 

EXAMPLE 2: Rahul's 27' fun essay about chess, and all of its quirks and excitements, helps to demonstrate their curious nature:

“With my heart pounding, eyes darting, clock ticking, and knight in hand, I finally saw a destination amongst the choices. The juicy f6 square was mine for the taking, and I knew the game was over. And it was. But not in the way I'd hoped," but even an eventual loss showed, "seeing such a beautiful checkmate made me realize why I loved chess. Brilliance on the chessboard trumped losing, and there was more to the game than winning."

Finishing with the observation that, "Dang. Maybe this chess thing is more than just a game." 

Personal Statement Essay Prompt: Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?

EXAMPLE 3: Ashley 27' wrote a Personal Statement essay where their passion for all things sound design leaps off the page and sucks readers in with its authentic enthusiasm:

“I didn't expect my classmate to yelp. I actually didn't expect her at all. Or at least, I'd hoped no one would find me, face three inches off the Velcro-like wall decoration of the disco-themed women's bathroom on the second floor of Carnegie Mellon's Entertainment Technology Center, holding up my phone's mic with one hand while tapping the wall with the other. Hopes dashed. Instead, my "New Recording 3"--the would-be voice memo evoking a crawling spider--ultimately included not only the yelp but our awkward mutual apologies before she scooted past me. For six weeks at Carnegie Mellon this past summer, I lost myself in sound design and production, from composing background music to creating sound effects."

“Sound design brings me away from the real world into one of flow, where I can simply play a note or two and feel an entire piece's atmosphere unexpectedly transform. Even its challenges--like getting the exact right effect for Zeus shooting lightning bolts at Mt. Olympus-debris asteroids--leave me absorbed in tapping my fingers on different textures, joyous with success when I find the perfect sound effect to piece it all together.” 

We hope that writing your college essay seems a bit less daunting and that you enjoyed getting a glimpse into our amazing incoming class of Oliners- we can't wait to have them on campus soon! Happy writing!